Charity & Chef say habits must change before it’s too late

Snacking on our favourite foods and drinking our favourite tipple is one of life’s simple pleasures. But if we do it to excess or don’t keep abreast of its dangers, our teeth and gums will pay the price.

That’s the message from British Dental Health Foundation and chef Jamie Oliver, who say vital changes need to be made sooner rather than later if the UK is to address sugar binging.

When you consume anything that is on the sugary side, acid will go on the offensive against your pearly whites. Why? Because sugar likes to react with bacteria present in plaque and will produce a not so pleasant concoction of harmful acids.

And the British Dental Health Foundation has said that it is fully behind proposals made by Britain’s most popular food wizard Jamie Oliver, who is spearheading a campaign against consuming excess sugar.

As part of his new documentary looking into sugar consumption – Jamie’s Sugar Rush, -Oliver took an in-depth look into the devastating effects sugar consumption in having on our dental health, with particularly worrying signs seen on the effects it is having on the nation’s children.

Dr Nigel Carter OBE, Chief Executive of the British Dental Health Foundation said: “The effects that sugar consumption is having on children’s dental health cannot be understated. Shockingly, a recent study found half of eight-year-olds have visible signs of decay on their teeth, and a third of children are starting school with obvious signs of tooth decay.

“These figures are alarming but are unfortunately only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the effect sugar is having on dental health. More regularly we hear first-hand accounts from dental professionals about just how children are suffering due to sugar, and this is being played out in every dental surgery across the country.

“Tooth decay is the number one reason for hospitalisation in children, and whilst we cannot blame the food and drink industry entirely, they do have to take a sizable portion of the blame.”

Chef Jamie Oliver has reportedly highlighted the fact that 26,000 primary school aged children were admitted to hospital due to tooth decay last year, with child tooth extractions costing the NHS around £30 million per year, the key cause being tooth decay.

Why does Tooth decay happen?

Tooth decay occurs when sugar reacts with the bacteria in plaque. This forms the acids that attack the teeth and destroy the enamel. After this happens many times, the tooth enamel may break down, forming a hole or ‘cavity’. Tooth decay almost always leads to fillings and often leads to teeth having to be extracted.

Early tooth decay can have no obvious symptoms, but your dental team may be able to spot a cavity in its early stages when they examine your teeth. This is why you should visit your dental team regularly, as small cavities are much easier to treat than advanced decay.

Measures outlined within ‘Jamie’s Sugar Manifesto’, which the British Dental Health Foundation endorses, include:

– A 20p levy per litre on every soft drink containing added sugar.

– Legislation of the responsibility deals allowing the government to set guidelines that must legally be followed by the food and drinks industry.

– Penalties to be implemented to any food and drink companies that do not reach the targets.

– An extension of the regulations banning junk food marketing on TV to 9 pm.

– Creation of more robust digital marketing regulations on junk food to cover all non-broadcast media.

– Making traffic light labelling compulsory on all packaging.

– Showing sugar content in teaspoons on the front of packaging.

Do you need some more help and advice about your diet and dental health? Ewan Bramley Dental Care would happily give you some top tips and a FREE CONSULTATION to assess your dental health.

Call 0191 259 6506 now to book or SUBMIT YOUR CONTACT INFO HERE and we’ll be in touch!